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Mackenzie Baby girl name meaning, origin, and popularity

Mackenzie name meaning and origin

Mackenzie is a Scottish name with Gaelic roots. Derived from the Gaelic surname MacCoinnich, Mackenzie means "comely," "attractive" or "pleasant to look at." It can also mean "child of the wise leader" and "born of fire."

Mackenzie first appeared in the United States as a boy's name, but rapidly gained popularity as a girl's name when the actress Mackenzie Phillips appeared on TV in the 1980s. (Interestingly, her full name is Laura Mackenzie Phillips. Like Laura Reese Witherspoon, the actress ignited a major baby name trend by using her middle name professionally.)

Today, Mackenzie is a gender-neutral name used for boys and girls. In the United States, it's more popular for girls. In other parts of the world, including Scotland, Mackenzie remains predominantly a boy's name.

Similar to other popular "M" names for girls, like McKenna and McKayla, Mackenzie gives off a modern yet classic vibe. Mackenzie is pronounced "muh-KEN-zee," and can have many different spellings, including Mckenzie, Makenzee, Mckinzie, Makenzi, Makenzie, Mackenzee, MacKenzie and McKenzie.

Mackenzie lends itself well to many nicknames that can make your Mackenzie stand out from the rest. From Kenzie and Mack to Ken, Enzi, or Mackie, you can add a unique twist to this popular name, making it more masculine or feminine to match your little one's personality.

Over the past 30 years, Mackenzie has gone from an unusual name to well-known regular for girls in United States. It skyrocketed in popularity in the 1990s, and peaked in 2001. After 20 years, Mackenzie recently dropped off the Social Security Administration's top-100 baby names for girls.

As often happens, Mackenzie dropped in popularity for boys as it took off as a name for girls. After peaking in 1994, Mackenzie fell off the SSA's top-1,000 boy names in 2001.

The name's popularity among BabyCenter parents follows a similar trend. Mackenzie was in the top-100 baby girl names from 2000 to 2017. Though it dropped out of the top 100 names in 2018, Mackenzie remains a popular name for baby girls. (BabyCenter's ranking is based on data from hundreds of thousands of parents who share their baby's name with us.)

While Mackenzie has dipped in popularity, the name has staying power. Given its sweet and spunky appeal, you can expect this name to continue showing up on the charts for years to come.

Mackenzie name popularity

Popularity over time

babies per million
Source: Social Security Administration & BabyCenter user data

Mackenzie in pop culture

Mackenzie Wagner
Character from the television show American Vandal
Mackenzie McHale
Character from the television show The Newsroom
Makenzie Hollister
Character from the book series The Dork Diaries
Mackenzie Molng
Character from the television show The Mick
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Famous people named Mackenzie

Mackenzie Phillips
Actress and singer known for her roles in the film Amerian Graffiti and the television sitcom One Day at a Time
Mackenzie Jean
Daughter of author JK Rowling, who wrote the Harry Potter series
MacKenzie Scott
Author, philanthropist, and ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos
Mackenzie Dern
UFC fighter, professional mixed martial artist and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner
Mackenzie Davis
Canadian actress, producer, and model
Mackenzie Lym Rosman
Actress best known for her role as Ruthie Camden in the television show 7th Heaven
Mackenzie Christine Foy
Actress and model known for her role as Renesmee Cullen in the film The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2
Mackenzie Firgens
Actress known for her role as April Ericson in the film adaptation of the musical Rent
Mackenzie Grace Mauzy
Actress who played Phoebe Forrester in the daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful
Mackenzie Lintz
Actress who played Norrie Calvert-Hill on the television show Under the Dome.

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